Meet the 30 Riders Qualified for the PBR Brazil National Final in Barretos
By: Abner Henrique Therézio
PBR Brazil has confirmed the list of qualified riders for the National Final of the 2022 season, which takes place during the Cowboy Festival of Barretos from Aug. 18-21. The event is held by Clube Os Independentes and this year completes its 65th edition, marking the return of crowds in the stands.
This will be the fifth time that the Professional Bull Riders national championship will have its decisive stage in the most famous arena in the country.
The champion of the season will receive a bonus of R$ 100,000. The 30 qualifiers were selected through the standings after 12 events this season, held in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Paraná and Goiás.
All riders will compete in four rounds between Thursday and Sunday, with the best in the aggregate returning for the final round on Sunday night. There will be bonus points for the competitors who obtain the best scores each night, with the winner of each round earning 20 bonus points. The champion in the overall aggregate of the National Final of Barretos earns another 100 points.
The bonus points accumulated in the four nights of competitions in Barretos will be added to those accumulated in the previous events to determine the champion of the season. In the National Final, it is possible for a competitor to earn a maximum of 200 bonus points if they win the five rounds and the aggregate, which mathematically means that the 15 top riders mathematically have a shot at the title.
Despite the mathematical chances of half of the competitors, the leader Cássio Dias Barbosa (São Francisco de Sales-MG) is still the main favorite for this year’s title and the man to beat in the National Final. He has accumulated 247.5 points so far, 101.5 points ahead of No. 2, which leaves him practically depending on his own performance in Barretos to win the championship.
At just 20 years old, the young man from Minas is considered one of the main phenomena of bull riding today. Debuting in PBR Brazil in the current season, he consecutively won the two stages held at the Cowboy Festival of Americana, including the Iron Cowboy event, where he won more than R$ 70,000 in just one night, in addition to being a finalist in Divinópolis-MG and third place in Frutal-MG.
His two main competitors in the National Final are also newcomers; Bruno Carvalho (Álvares Florence-SP) and Arthur Antonialle (São José do Rio Pardo-SP). With 146 points, Carvalho finished among the Top 10 in five of the six events he competed in this year, including third place in Iron Cowboy of Americana and fourth place in Frutal-MG. With a difference of 115 points from the leader, Antonialle also goes to his first Final after being runner-up in Divinópolis-MG and Frutal-MG.
Jérson dos Santos (Paranaíba-MS) and Luiz Américo Silva (Timóteo-MG) appear next in the standings and also have mathematical chances of winning the title, 123.5 and 136 points behind the leader, respectively. Names such as Bruno Scaranello (General Salgado-SP), who topped the ranking this year, but missed some events recovering from injury, also guaranteed a spot, as well as youngsters who are among the fan favorites such as Felipe Furlan (Sales Oliveira-SP), Gabriel Moraes (São Francisco de Sales-MG) and Eduardo Matos (Emilianópolis-SP).
Qualifiers – National Finals
Cássio Dias Barbosa (São Francisco de Sales-MG) – 247.50 points
Bruno Carvalho (Álvares Florence-SP) – 146.00 points
Arthur Antonialle (São José do Rio Pardo-SP) – 132.50 points
Jérson dos Santos (Paranaíba-MS) – 124.00 points
Luiz Américo Silva (Timóteo-MG) – 111.50 points
Bruno Scaranello (General Salgado-SP) – 108.00 points
Bruno Roberto (Restinga-SP) – 97.00 points
Igor Junqueira (Prata-MG) – 93.00 points
Alex Júnior da Silva (Bom Jesus da Penha-MG) – 83.00 points
Maciel Santana (Ibirataia-BA) – 82.53 points
Felipe Furlan (Sales Oliveira-SP) – 79.20 points
João Lucas (Porto Feliz-SP) – 59.50 points
Gabriel Moraes (São Francisco de Sales-MG) – 56.00 points
Rodolfo Alves (Agudos-SP) – 54.50 points
Eduardo Matos (Emilianópolis-SP) – 52.50 points
Lucas Martins Costa (Frutal-MG) – 41.50 points
Pablo Assunção (Comendador Gomes-MG) – 36.00 points
Lucas Junio da Silva (Leme-SP) – 35.33 points
Leandro Zampollo (Pirassununga-SP) – 34.00 points
João Marcelo Santos (Cláudio-MG) – 24.00 points
Ayslan Jefferson (Nova Brasilândia-MT) – 21.50 points
Vitor Hugo Costa (Itaguajé-PR) – 21.20 points
Adilson Júnior (Salto de Pirapora-MG) – 20.00 points
Valdenilson Pereira (Arelva-SP) – 19.00 points
Pedro Augusto Vitti (Piracicaba-SP) – 18.00 points
Rafael Silva Pereira (Lagoinha-SP) – 18.00 points
Victor Soares (Piracicaba-SP) – 18.00 points
Artur Melo (Campos do Jordão-SP) – 16.00 points
Romário Leite (Brotas-SP) – 14.70 points
Jean Pereira (Crixás-GO) – 14.50 points
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